It started with a sinkhole, and nearly six years later, the fact that the Cardinal Lake dam project has been completed is still sinking in for some.

The final phase of the project — impounding water — began Monday when the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) gave the village the OK to close the gate on the reconstructed dam and begin refilling the lake.

“It’s nice to look out there this morning and see a little water pooling up,” council member Gerald Osborne said Tuesday.

Osborne and his wife live on Sandpiper Drive, and their home looks out onto the lake.

The cost of the project totaled $708,500 — more than three times the original repair estimate, which was made in 2007.

The funds came from a variety of sources. The village covered $429,300. Another $180,000 came from the grants from the DENR. Whispering Lakes LLC (Whispering Woods Golf Course) has chipped in $26,200. It still owes $45,000, according to the village.

A neighborhood group of residents who live near the dam also contributed $28,000.

“I never thought it would take this long,” said Mayor Bob Zschoche, who has served on the council since the dam became a problem in 2006. “Now, we want rain. We want to fill that puppy up as soon as we can.”

It could take several months to get enough rainfall to fill Cardinal Lake.

The trouble with the dam began six years ago when Martin Way, the road across the dam, developed a sinkhole. That resulted in the DENR ordering the road closed and the dam repaired or breached in March 2006.

In October 2007, after more than 18 months of negotiations, the Village Council, the owners of Whispering Woods Golf Club and residents living near the dam reached an agreement to repair it. The council voted to approve the deal in December 2007.

That deal called for the village to pay the up-front cost of the repairs and to take ownership of the dam and the surrounding spillway ponds. In turn, Whispering Woods agreed to pay $84,000 over 15 years — $5,600 annually — and give the village land valued at $34,000. The golf course also receives an easement to use water from Cardinal Lake and its surrounding pond for irrigation.

The deal was contingent upon residents who live around the dam paying $28,000 toward the repair costs, leaving the village to pay the rest. At the time of the original deal, the remaining amount of the repair was estimated at $112,000. The original repair cost, as estimated by village engineer John Eddy, was $224,000.

Since then, the scope of the project changed. In an effort to keep repair costs down, the project was rebid twice before the contract was awarded to Hall Construction. Work began in October 2010.

Eleven months later, in September 2011, the work was completed and the council voted to officially close Martin Way to vehicular traffic. The road over the dam is now a path suitable for only golf carts and pedestrians.

Since 2006, 10 different individuals have served on the council. Only two, Zschoche and Randy Saunders, have served on the council continuously.

Osborne lives near the dam and was a member of the community group that contributed money as part of the original agreement to repair the dam.

Osborne moved into his current home in 2004 and said he and his wife are looking forward to seeing Cardinal Lake fill up again.

“We are glad it’s over so now we can start enjoying the lake again,” Osborne said.

Contact Tom Embrey at tembrey@thepilot.com.